In the manufacture of finished goods that include multiple component parts, it is fairly common for the component parts to be manufactured at a location different from the location where the finished goods are assembled. For example, in the manufacture of t-shirts or other knitwear items, the component parts, for example, collar, left sleeve, right sleeve, front, and back of a shirt may be produced at a textile plant and then shipped to an assembly site for sewing into a finished shirt. This process may include the assembly of shipping containers, including the component parts, the shipment of those containers to an assembly site, the opening of the containers at the assembly site, the assembly of finished goods using the components included in the containers, the packaging of finished goods in containers, and the shipment of finished goods containers to distribution or retail sites.
During the manufacturing/assembly operation itself, it is often desirable to track the number of finished products being manufactured by particular teams, stations, assembly lines, or the like. It is also advantageous to have records relating to the assembly process. As are appreciated by those who are skilled in the art from the foregoing description, providing managers with access to detailed information at every stage of the process facilitates management of the assembly process. It would also be advantageous to automate portions of the overall finished good production process and, in particular, the tracking, preparation, and shipment of containers from component manufacturing sites to assembly sites to distribution sites, and the assembly of finished goods.
Conventionally, manufacturers use enterprise resource planning systems (ERP), such as SAP, to monitor and control manufacturing and related processes. However, the cost of purchasing and implementing these ERP systems is extremely high. Also, conventional ERP systems are adept at integrating processes within an organization, but it can be difficult to implement a system across multiple organizations.
Furthermore, conventional manufacturers often utilize outsourcing for some of all of the manufacturing processes. In an outsourcing environment, companies contract with various manufacturers across the globe. The benefits of this strategy are apparent, the owner of the contract manufacturing company focuses on a core competency and is thus better able to control costs. Also, the contract manufacture is often located in areas of the world in which labor costs are much lower than in the home country of the primary manufacturer. Furthermore, by contracting manufacturing out, the large manufacturer avoids the capital expenditure and ongoing expenses necessary to build and maintain a manufacturing facility.
Therefore, manufacturers require a means of monitoring and controlling manufacturing processes occurring both in facilities the manufacturer owns and runs and in facilities owned by contract manufacturers. Implementing an ERP system in such an environment is prohibitively expensive and would require a substantial outlay of time and money each time the manufacturer begins or ends a relationship with the contract manufacturer.
Also, a manufacturer may wish to limit the information provided to a contract manufacturer. For example, in the case of a contract manufacturer that works for a manufacturer and for the manufacturer's direct competitor, the primary manufacturer may wish to limit the contract manufacturer's knowledge regarding total planned production for a particular product.
This invention provides these and other advantages.